North Lake Tahoe STR Regulations · El Dorado County
El Dorado County — scarcity that cuts both ways.
A permitted property here is a genuinely scarce asset. El Dorado's cap is tighter than Placer's, and it layers on the strictest anti-clustering rule on the lake — a 500-foot buffer that makes eligibility about your specific parcel, not just the countywide count.
Where this applies: Meyers, just south of South Lake Tahoe city limits, and the El Dorado County portion of Tahoma on the West Shore — unincorporated Tahoe Basin, a separate ordinance from both its neighbors.
The numbers I check before I write an offer
900 — permit cap, Tahoe Basin portion only
500 ft — minimum buffer required from any existing active permit
No — permits are not transferable at sale
14% — combined TOT in the Tahoe Basin (10% base + 4% Measure S)
The 500-foot buffer — check this before anything else
This is El Dorado's defining rule, and the one that trips up the most buyers: no new permit can be issued within 500 feet of a parcel that already holds an active one. Not a guideline — the county's primary anti-clustering mechanism. A property can sit comfortably under the 900-cap and still be permanently ineligible because a neighbor two doors down already has an active VHR.
I check the county's VHR map for buffer conflicts on every El Dorado parcel before a client writes an offer with STR intent — it's a five-minute check that can save you from buying something you can never legally rent.
What actually happens when you buy
VHR permits are not transferable. A buyer purchasing a property with an existing, active permit still has to submit their own application — and because of the buffer rule, approval isn't guaranteed even if the seller's permit was valid the day before closing. If a new STR got permitted nearby in the interim, the buffer math changes under you.
Rules worth knowing
One VHR permit per parcel. TRPA environmental review applies on top of county rules for any modifications, since the whole Basin sits under Tahoe Regional Planning Agency jurisdiction. Fire and safety inspections apply at both application and renewal.
Taxes & fees
Permit fees run $564 new / $282 renewal, plus a $31 tech surcharge. TOT is 14% in the Basin — a 10% base plus a 4% Measure S surcharge, among the higher combined rates around the lake. I model 14% off gross for anything in El Dorado, not the lower rate that applies outside the Basin.
Bottom line
If you're buying a property with an active, compliant permit already in place, that permit is arguably the single most valuable line item in the deal — protect it in due diligence, and understand it doesn't follow you if anything about the property or ownership changes materially. If you're buying raw and hoping to add STR income, treat that income as speculative until you've confirmed both cap availability and buffer eligibility in writing from the county.
More county rules: All counties at a glance → · Placer County → · South Lake Tahoe →
Run your own numbers on the STR calculator →
Public regulatory information as of mid-2026, for general planning. Buffer status and permit counts change — confirm current status with El Dorado County before writing an offer. Not legal advice.